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(-No Model.)

0. P. HARTMAN & J. H. STROUSE. AUTOMATIC WAGON BRAKE.

No. 556,673. Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

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UNITED STATES CHARLES P.

PATENT IIARTMAN AND JAMES H. STROUSE, OF ELMIRA, NEXV YORK,

ASSIGNORS 0F ONE-THIRD TO BENJAMIN F. SAMPSELL, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC WAGON-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,678, dated March17, 1896.

Application filed January 14, 1896. Serial No. 575,439. (No model.)

To a ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that we, CHARLES P. HARTMAN and JAMES II. STROUSE, citizensof the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung andState of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement inAutomatic Nagon-Brakes, of which the followin g is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a wagon with a brake thatwill. automatically set itself immediately the wagon starts down adeclivity, the brake being set more strongly as the grade increases. Ourbrake may also be controlled in. the usual way by the hand or foot, andis suitable for use upon farm, road, transportation, express, and otherwagons, drays, or vehicles.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which.

Figure 1 represents a plan View of the rear running-gear of a wagonhaving our automatic brake with its mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2represents the same in elevation, the wheel and brake-shoe beingindicated by broken lines.

A A indicate the two rear wheels of a wagon, and B the axle. To thisaxleis bolted a bracket 1, which supports one end of the shaft 2, to theouter end of which is attached a friction-wheel 3. This friction-wheelis adapted to be throwninto contact with the collar 4: on the hub of oneof the wheels (the right-hand one in this instance) and to be rotatedthereby. The shaft 2 is loosely journaled in the bracket 1 to allow fora slight movement of the friction-wheel toward and away from the hub. Itis also j ournaled just inside of the friction-wheel in the end of alever 5, which is pivoted to the end of a stud projecting from thebolster C of the wagon. The lever 5 extends upward and forward from thestud 6 to meet the swinging lever or pendulum '7, to which it is coupledby a bolt passing through aslot 8 in the pendulum to allow for therelative movement of the two levers. The pendulum swings from thebracket 9, which extends forward from the upper end of the post D.

Upon the free end of the pendulum is the adjustable weight 10.

Upon the shaft 2 is adrum l1, to which is attached a chain or wire rope12, which is wound upon the drum when the friction-wheel is drivenaround by the wheel-hub as it revolves. This drum, however, may beomitted and the rope wound directly upon the shaft. The rope 12 passesfrom the drum around a guide pulley or roller 13 fastened to the axle B,and thence to the long arm of a lever 14, which is pivoted at 15 upon asaddle-board l6 fastened to the top of the reach and hounds E E Theshort arm of the lever ll is coupled at 17 to the long arms of the twobrake-levers l8 and 10, which are pivoted to the saddle-board at 20 and21, and are provided at their outer ends with the brake-shoes 22 and Aspring 2i is attached to the reach at and to the short arm of lever 14,as indicated, and holds the brake-levers in normal position when thebrake is not in operation.

To the end of the pendulum 7 we may, if desirable, attach a rod-26,whieh connects with any of the usual forms of hand or foot levers atthe drivers seat. A slot 27 in the end of this rod allows the brake toact independently of the driver.

The operation of our brake is as follows: \Vhen the wagon starts down anincline the pendulum actuated by its weight swings for ward and actsupon the lever 5 to force the friction-wheel against the hub. Therevolvin g hub imparts motion to the friction-wheel, thus driving shaft2 and causing the rope or chain 12 to be wound upon the drum 11 andpulling the long arm of lever l-l backward, which in turn forces thelong arms of levers 1S and 19 forward and sets the brake-shoes againstthe wheels. When the wagon again reaches the level the pendulum returnsto a vertical position the frictionavheel is thrown away from the hub,and the spring ill draws the levers to their normal position andreleases the wheels.

It will be noticed that by passing the rope 12 around the guidepulley 13there is a pull upon the shaft 2 toward the axle, due to the tension inthe rope as it is wound upon the drum. This pull works in conjunctionwith the pendulum to press the friction-wheel against the hub.

The weight 10 is adjustable up and down the pendulum in order that itmay be set to adapt the brake to light or heavy loads-that is, for aheavy load. the weight would be set down toward the end of the pendulum,thus increasing its leverage and the force with which it presses thefriction-wheel against the hub. For light loads the weight would be setup toward the top of the pendulum.

By arranging the leverages as shown it will be seen that a very littlepower exerted upon the friction-wheel will SlllllGG to set thebrake-shoes against the wheels with a strong pressure.

lVe do not confine ourselves to the precise construction shown by way ofillustration, as it is evident that this construction is not adaptableto all classes of wagons, and that changes such as would be necessary inapplying our brake to different wagons might still be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of our invention.

We are aware that prior to our invention a wagon brake has beenconstructed to operate automatically by means of a weighted pendulum,also that it is not new to use a friction-wheel to operate brakemechanisms. \Ve do not, therefore, claim either of these broadly.

lVhat we do claim as our invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. In an automatic wagon-brake, the combination of a weighted pendulum,a friction wheel adapted to be forced thereby against a wagon-wheel, ashaft driven by the frictionwheel, a rope or chain attached to saidshaft and to the brake-levers, whereby the brake is set when the rope orchain is wound upon the shaft.

2. In an automatic wagon-brake, the combination of a weighted pendulum,a frictionwheel, a lever connecting the pendulum with the shaft of thefriction-Wheel, and brake mechanism operated by said shaft, when thefriction-Wheel is rotated by contact with a rotating wagon-wheel.

In a wagon-brake, the combination of a friction-wheel, a lever forforcing the friction,-

wheel against a Wagon-wheel, a shaft driven by said friction-wheel, arope or chain attached to said shaft, said rope or chain being carriedaround a guide-roller attached to the wagon-wheel axle and thence to thebrakelevers substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. In an automatic wagon-brake, the combination of a pendulum, a weightadjustable up and down the pendulum, a friction-wheel thrown intocontact with a wagon-wheel by the action of said pendulum, and brakemechanism operated by said friction-wheel, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. In a wagon-brake the combination of a saddle-board fastened to thewagon-gear, two brake-levers pivoted to the saddle-board and havingbrake-shoes fastened upon their short arms, a third lever pivoted to thesaddle-board and having its short arm coupled to the long arms of thebrake-levers, a spring to retain the levers in normal position, andmechanism substantially as described for exerting a pull upon the longarm of the third lever.

(i. In an automatic wagoirbi'ake, the combination of a weightedpendulum, a support from the wagon to which the pendulum is pi voted, alever pivoted to a second support from the wagon, one end of said leverbeing coupled by a sliding joint to the pendulum and the other end ofsaid lever carrying one end of a shaft to which a friction-wheel isattached, a bracket from the wagon axle in which the other end of saidshaft is journaled so as to allow for some lateral movement of theshaft, and a rope or chain attached to said shaft and to thebrake-levers, whereby the brakes are set when the friction-whcel isforced against a wheehhub by the action of the pendulum.

In testimony whereof we have afiixed our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

CIIAS. P. IIARTMAN. JAMES II. STROUSE. Witnesses:

IIOLLIs H. MILLs, EUGENE DIVEN.

